Improvement in the lazy-jack for vessels  sails



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL R. ARNOLD, OF HADDAM, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE LAZY-JACK FOR VESSELS SAILS.

Specification forming part of Letters PatentA No. 47, l78, dated April 11,1865.

T 0 all whom it Fruity concern:

'Be it known that 1, DANIEL R. ARNOLD, of I Iaddam,in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Lazy-J ack for use on Sailing-Vessels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had totheaccompanying drawings, of which- Figure l is a side elevation of a sail and attachments with my invention attached. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lazy-jack block and spreader. Fig. 3 a vertical section showing the jack surrounding both boom and gai'. Fig. et shows the action ot' the jack when the sail is pressed to one side by the wind; Fig. 5, the operation of the jack when the sail is being lowered, and Fig. 6 the ordinaryr arrangement of lazy-jack.

The nature of my invention consists in the application of one or more endless ropes to the purpose named in such a way that each otl said ropes passes entirel y around both boom and gaft', so that when the saiI presses against one side that side becomes longer and the other correspondingly shorter, and when the sail is being lowered it will not slide down the rope, but the rope will render over its rollers or equivalent devices, and that side against which the sail presses will come down 7 with the sail, While the other side, which is free, will go up at the same time.

That others may understand the construetion and operation of my invention, I will n1 )re particularly describe it.

A is the sail of a sloop or schooner. B is the boom. C is the gait. D is the mast. E E are the cross trees. F is the throat-halyards. G Gr, the pealr-halyards5 H H, the lazy-jacks 5 I, the lazyjacl; block,and J J the lazy-jack pennants.

In constructing my lazy-jacks, I take an crdinary block, I, (commonly doublc,) of suitable size, and to the head of it I prefer to attach a cross-piece or spreader, t', Fig. 2. Through holes in the ends ot' this cross-piece the ends of the pennauts J are inserted and secured. These pennants (I prefer to use two, as being more convenient than one) pass upward through bulls-eyes secured to the under side of the cross-trees, thence downward on either side of theV gait, and are secured to cleats k on the sides ofthe boom, not far from the mast. Over each sheave of the block I, I pa s a rope, II H, ot' sufficient length to pass down around the boom and back again. The two ends of each of these ropes are joined, and I thus have two endless ropes surrounding the gait, sail, and boom. One of these ropes should be considerablylonger than the other, so that they may be spread a considerable d'stanee apart at thc points where they pass under the boom.

In order that the boom may not be chat'ed or cut, as well as to render the jacks more durable, I place small rollers It on the under side of the boom, as shown in Fig. 3, so constructed and placed as to prevent the jack from escaping therefrom.

If the boom is verylong, the jacks H II may be made of' ropes suciently large to afford s-)me support to the center of the boom.

The ordinary construction ot' lazyjacks is shown in Fig. 6. A bulls-eye, b, is secured by a short rope to an eyebolt on the under side of the cross-trees. Another bulls eye, c, is attached to a longer rope, @,which passes through b, and thence downward to the boom, where it is rigidly secured. Still another rope, d, is secured in the same manner to the boom a little distance forward of the end of 0'; thence it passes upward through c and downward again to the boom at a point not far from the mast D, where it is secured to a cleat. It is evident that by pulling upon this end of dthc whole may be drawn tight, for d passes freely through e, and c passes freely through b. A similar arrangement is placed also upon 111e other side of the sail, the object being to prevent the sail when being lowered from falling overboard or upon the deck, but to compel it to gather down upon the boom, where it is to be secured.

In practice it is found that when it is necessary to lower the sail while the wind is pressing upon it the jacks are frequently more a detriment than a benefit, the sail being sure to fold upon itself, as shown in Fig.5, and the pressure upon the jack become so great that it will not slide down more than' half-way. An old sail will be torn by this rubbing very often, and the chang is always a serious detriment to the sail, whether old or new. Under these circumstances the only remedy is to loosen the jack by slacking up the rope d and pulling' the sail down. It is also obj ack is designed to support theboom the pressvlous that as the sail swells out with the wind it presses upon the jacks on one side, while the jack upon the other side is corresponding ly slaekened, and the strain is therefore unequal. It is to remedy these defects that my arrangement Vhas been devised. It will be clearly seen by reference to Fig. 4 that if the will come down on that side with the sail, While it runs upward on the other, which is l the free side, as shown clearly by the arrows f in Fie. 5. That the fold of the sail may not be drawn under the rollers on the boom, a small cleat, L, with a hole for the jack, may be secured to the boom immediately above the upper rollers, or any other equivalent device may be used.

Itis obvious that the number of the endless ropes used Will depend upon the size of the sail, 0r the convenience or taste of the sailor.

I do not desire to eonne myseltl to the number shown, norte that preeise arrangement ot' details; as

What I claim to be new, and desire to seeure by Letters Patent, is-

A revolving` lazy-jack surrounding the boonnsal, and gait', substantially as set forth and described.

DANIEL R. ARNOLD.

vVitnessesz R. D. O. SMITH, A. SII. SMITH. 

